Friend testifies that Rittenhouse shot men who 'were trying to hurt him': Reports

A friend of Kyle Rittenhouse testified Tuesday saying Rittenhouse fatally shot two men who "were trying to hurt him," according to reports.

According to The Hill, Dominic Black's testimony comes as the trial for the 18-year-old aspiring police officer gets underway in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

Rittenhouse is accused of killing two men and injuring a third during protests that were held in Kenosha following the officer-involved shooting of Jacob Blake.

"I didn’t believe the gunshots were actually his until I got a phone call, and I answered it, and he just said, ‘I shot somebody, I shot somebody," Black said on the witness stand.

Black is also accused of illegally purchasing the AR-15 style rifle Rittenhouse used in the shooting. At the time of the shooting, Rittenhouse was 17-years-old, which is too young to purchase a semi-automatic firearm in the state of Illinois, where he lived. 

Black also testified that he and Rittenhouse went to Kenosha in order to allegedly protect a car dealership that was burned the night before.

If convicted of the most serious charge of first-degree murder, Rittenhouse could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.